Do you miss the traditional group stage of the UEFA Champions League?
Well, it’s too bad if you do, because the 2026-27 tournament marks the third consecutive season that the most prestigious club competition in world soccer will use its expanded format.
Before the 2024-25 season, 32 teams were divided into eight round-robin groups, with the top two in each advancing to the knockout round.
But ever since UEFA changed things up, 36 teams have competed in a single-table format with the top eight sides at the end of the first round automatically advancing to the Round of 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th in the standings will be paired off in a series of two-legged playoffs, with the eight winners also moving on to the next round. Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated.
Each team in the Champions League will play eight different opponents in eight matches (four home, four away) in the first round, otherwise known as the league phase. Thursday’s draw, held by UEFA in Monte Carlo, determined the league phase fixture list for all 36 clubs.
The full schedule won’t be announced until a later date. But we already know the first round will run from Sept. 8 to Jan. 27, 2027, followed by the playoffs (Feb. 16-24) and the start of the knockout stage with the Round of 16 (March 9). This year’s final is slated for June 5 in Estadio Metropolitano, home of Spanish club Atlético Madrid.
Here’s a look at five of the more interesting league-phase matchups:
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City
Can PSG make it three Champions League titles in a row? The French giants won’t exactly have it easy in the league phase with a number of tough games, including a visit by Manchester City to Parc des Princes.
PSG earned a 4-2 win over Man City in the league phase of the 2024-25 Champions League in its previous encounter, but the Blues lead the all-time series against the French club with four wins and just two losses in seven encounters. Erling Haaland has 34 career Champions League goals in 39 appearances for Man City, including eight goals last season, and will be looking to add to his tally when he and his teammates make the trip to the French capital.
Arsenal vs. Real Madrid
Champions League finalists last season, Arsenal has one of the most challenging draws of this season’s league phase, which includes a home match vs. Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho is now in charge of Los Blancos and can call upon a lethal attack spearheaded by the twin pillars, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé was the top scorer in last season’s Champions League with 15 goals, but he wasn’t even named the UEFA team of the tournament. At the same time, Real Madrid disappointingly bowed in the quarterfinals. All of which means the Spaniards will have plenty to play for this season, so Arsenal has been warned.
Liverpool vs. Villarreal
Are you looking for some Canadian content in this season’s Champions League? Look no further than Spanish club Villarreal, which boasts three members of Canada’s national team who all featured prominently for their country at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
Winger Tajon Buchanan and forward Tani Oluwaseyi combined to score nine goals in La Liga between them in their first full season together at Villarreal, in 2025-26. Now another Canadian has joined them at the Yellow Submarine as midfielder Nathan Saliba was signed by the Spanish club earlier this week. Wouldn’t it be something to see all three Canadians in the starting 11 when Villarreal takes on Liverpool at Anfield?
FC Barcelona vs. Como 1907
Como turned heads last season in Serie A under Spanish manager Cesc Fabregas, finishing fourth in the table to beat out traditional heavyweights Juventus and AC Milan to clinch the final Champions league berth. This will be Como’s first time competing in the Champions League.
The Italian outfit’s trip to Camp Nou marks a reunion of sorts for Fabregas, who came up through La Masia, Barcelona’s fabled youth academy, before leaving as a 16-year-old to play for Arsenal. He later returned to the Catalan capital and featured for Barcelona from 2011 to 2014. Fabregas has shown genuine acumen as a manager since retiring in 2023, and will no doubt be eager to pull one over against his old club.
The 2026-27 Champions League features four clubs that will be making their debut in the competition, including Viking FK of Norway and Sabah FK, the defending champions of Azerbaijan. As fate would have it, these two teams will square off during the league phase.
Sabah must make a 4,823-kilometre trek — one of the longest road trips in this year’s Champions League — from their hometown of Masazir all the way to Stavanger on the southwestern coast of Norway. Founded in 1899, Viking has competed in European club competitions before, most recently in the 2005-06 UEFA Cup. Sabah, which has been around as a club only since 2017, will be making its European debut.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.